The Canadian electro-industrial band Skinny Puppy has released twelve studio albums and two extended plays along with a number of live albums, compilations, and singles. The group formed in 1982 and released its debut EP, Back & Forth, in 1984. Later that year, Skinny Puppy was picked up by Nettwerk and released another EP, Remission, in December 1984. The band's first studio album, 1985's Bites, was its last with the original lineup of vocalist Nivek Ogre and producer / multi-instrumentalist cEvin Key; Dwayne Goettel joined in 1986, and the band released its next two albums, Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse and Cleanse Fold and Manipulate, in 1986 and 1987 respectively.
VIVIsectVI (1988), Skinny Puppy's fourth album, was one of the band's most well-received efforts, placing on Melody Maker's best of 1988 list and garnering several retrospective accolades. Bradley Torreano of AllMusic hailed the album as a masterpiece, and Jim Harper of the same publication saw VIVIsectVI as the beginning of electro-industrial music. Rabies followed VIVIsectVI in 1989 and marked the band experimenting with industrial metal thanks to the influence of Ministry frontman Al Jourgensen. Key and Goettel expressed dissatisfaction with the album, and Skinny Puppy quickly returned to the studio for its sixth album, 1990's Too Dark Park.
Too Dark Park was another critical highlight of the band's career, and Key described it as a return to form for Skinny Puppy. In 1992, with the band on the brink of dissolution due to Ogre's worsening drug addiction, Last Rights was released and saw the band pushing further into extreme noise territory. The making of Skinny Puppy's next and eighth album, The Process (which would eventually be released in 1996), was fraught with difficulties both internal and external; the band shifted to a new record label with a new recording studio and new producers, Ogre left, Goettel died of a heroin overdose, and the band ultimately dissolved with the album unfinished. Following dissolution, Skinny Puppy released several compilations and a live improvisation album titled Puppy Gristle (which had been recorded in 1993). Ogre and Key reunited in 2000 and a year later released a live album documenting Skinny Puppy's revival. The band returned to the studio and released The Greater Wrong of the Right in 2004, Mythmaker in 2007, HanDover in 2011, and Weapon in 2013.
Albums Studio albums TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart positionsNotesUSUS HeatUS TasteUS IndieUS DanceCANSWEGERAlt Bites Released: August 1985 Label: Nettwerk, Play It Again Sam Format: LP, CD, cassette — — — — — — — — Reissued in 1993 with eight bonus tracks Certified gold in Canada in 1994 Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse Released: September 5, 1986 Label: Nettwerk, Play It Again Sam Format: LP, CD, cassette — — — — — — — — First Skinny Puppy album to feature Dwayne Goettel Cleanse Fold and Manipulate Released: June 25, 1987 Label: Nettwerk Format: LP, CD, cassette — — — — — — 55 — The end of the last track segues into the beginning of the first track, forming a loop VIVIsectVI Released: September 12, 1988 Label: Nettwerk Format: LP, CD, cassette — — — — — 94 — — Only Skinny Puppy album to credit Dave Ogilvie as a full member of the band Rabies Released: November 20, 1989 Label: Nettwerk Format: LP, CD, cassette — — — — — 88 — — Produced in part by Al Jourgensen of industrial metal band Ministry Too Dark Park Released: October 30, 1990 Label: Nettwerk Format: LP, CD, cassette — — — — — — — — Regarded by the band as a return to form after the musical departure of Rabies Last Rights Released: March 1992 Label: Nettwerk Format: LP, CD, cassette 193 10 — — — — — — Much of the album features extended instrumental passages due to Nivek Ogre's drug addiction preventing him from producing complete vocals The Process Released: February 27, 1996 Label: American, Warner Bros. Format: CD, cassette 102 1 — — — 30 48 — Last Skinny Puppy album to feature contributions from Goettel (died in 1995) The Greater Wrong of the Right Released: May 25, 2004 Label: Synthetic Symphony Format: CD 176 7 — 9 — — — 1 Skinny Puppy's first reunion album after dissolving in 1995 Mythmaker Released: January 30, 2007 Label: Synthetic Symphony Format: CD, LP 200 4 12 17 5 — — — Vinyl issues included three bonus tracks Handover Released: October 25, 2011 Label: SPV GmbH Format: CD 168 3 18 37 9 — — — Experienced the longest recording period of any Skinny Puppy album Weapon Released: May 28, 2013 Label: Metropolis Format: CD, LP 140 2 24 21 4 — 60 1 Based on the band learning that its music had been used for torturing prisoners in Guantanamo Bay Originally intended to be released with a manual detailing how to use the music to torture people "—" denotes a title that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
Extended plays TitleEP detailsNotes Back & Forth Released: 1984 Label: self-released Format: cassette Skinny Puppy's first release Remastered, expanded, and reissued in 1992 as Back and Forth Series Two Remission Released: December 1984 Label: Nettwerk Format: LP, CD, cassette Reissued in 1985 and 1993 with five bonus tracks, retroactively expanding it to the length of a studio album Certified gold in Canada in 2000
Compilation albums TitleAlbum detailsNotes Bites and Remission Released: 1987 Label: Nettwerk Format: CD Mixes the track listings of various Remission and Bites issues and substitutes two songs for remixes Remission & Bites Released: 1987 Label: Play It Again Sam Format: CD Preserves Remission and Bites releases in their original forms Twelve Inch Anthology Released: 1989 Label: Nettwerk Format: LP, CD, cassette Compiles most of Skinny Puppy's 12-inch singles (along with their B-sides) up to 1989 Back and Forth Series Two Released: October 13, 1992 Label: Nettwerk Format: CD A remastered, expanded, and reissued version of Skinny Puppy's debut EP, Back & Forth Brap: Back and Forth Series 3 & 4 Released: April 30, 1996 Label: Nettwerk, EMI Format: CD First disc comprises mostly instrumental demos from 1983 and 1984 while the second comprises mostly live recordings from 1990 Charted on Billboards Top Heatseekers at 39 Skinned Released: 1998 Label: Time + Space Format: CD Compiles many of the samples employed in Skinny Puppy's music The Singles Collect Released: November 16, 1999 Label: Nettwerk Format: CD Compiles the band's singles up to and through 1992's Last Rights alongside a few tracks that were not released individually B-Sides Collect Released: November 16, 1999 Label: Nettwerk Format: CD Compiles many of the B-sides from Skinny Puppy's singles Back and Forth 06Six Released: 2003 Label: Subconscious Communications Format: CD Compiles early (1982–85) Skinny Puppy improvisations, live recordings, and demos as well as unreleased material from The Process (1996) Back & Forth Vol7 Released: May 2007 Label: Subconscious Communications Format: CD Compiles unreleased material from the Last Rights and The Process eras (1991–95)
Live albums TitleAlbum details Peak chart positionsNotesUS HeatGER Ain't It Dead Yet? Released: 1989 Label: Nettwerk Formats: VHS, DVD, CD, cassette — — Recorded on May 31, 1987 at Toronto Concert Hall Doomsday (Back and Forth 5) Released: August 21, 2001 Label: Nettwerk Formats: CD — 15 Recorded on August 20, 2000 at Doomsday Festival Skinny Puppy's first reunion concert after dissolving in 1995 The Greater Wrong of the Right Live Released: September 27, 2005 Label: Nettwerk Formats: DVD — — Recorded over two nights (November 9 and 11, 2004) in Montreal and Toronto The second disc includes a documentary on the Iraq War titled Information Warfare (directed by William Morrison) as well as archival live footage from 1988, 1990, and 1992 Bootlegged, Broke and in Solvent Seas Released: June 12, 2012 Label: Metropolis Formats: CD 46 2 Recorded over several dates on a 2010 tour of Europe "—" denotes a title that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
Other releases TitleAlbum detailsNotes Video Collection (1984–1992) Released: 1996 Label: Nettwerk Format: VHS, DVD Compiles Skinny Puppy's music videos up to and through 1992 Remix Dystemper Released: October 20, 1998 Label: Nettwerk Format: CD A remix album featuring remixes from many industrial and electronic artists Puppy Gristle Released: February 2002 Label: Subconscious Communications Format: CD A recording of an improvised jam session from November, 1993 featuring members of Skinny Puppy alongside Genesis P-Orridge of Throbbing Gristle and Larry Thrasher of Psychic TV
Singles Title Year Album Notes "Dig It" 1986 Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse rowspan="4" "Addiction"1987 Cleanse Fold and Manipulate "Chainsaw" "Stairs and Flowers" Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse "Censor" 1988 VIVIsectVI Single for the song "Dogshit", censored for marketability "Testure"1989 Charted on Billboards's Dance Club Songs at 19 "Tin Omen" Rabies rowspan="8" "Worlock"1990 "Tormentor" Too Dark Park "Spasmolytic"1991 "Inquisition"1992 Last Rights "Candle"1996 The Process "Track 10"2000 Last Rights "Politikil"2007 Mythmaker "Salvo"2013 Weapon Track title stylized as "saLvo" Released ahead of Weapon as a streamed single "Illisit" Track title stylized as "illisiT" Released as a music video on November 19, 2013
References
External links Skinny Puppy on AllMusic Skinny Puppy on Bandcamp Skinny Puppy on Discogs